- Palau Bush Warbler
 - Palau Bush Warbler
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 - Palau Bush Warbler
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Palau Bush Warbler Horornis annae Scientific name definitions

Peter Clement
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2006

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Field Identification

14–15 cm. A large bush warbler with long, tapering bill. Has pale yellowish buff to olive-yellow supercilium, dark lores and eyestripe, grayish olive cheek and ear-coverts; crown and upperparts, including wings and tail, grayish olive; olive-yellow below, brightest on chin and throat, tinged olive on undertail coverts; iris dark; upper mandible dark horn-brown, lower mandible pale yellowish or pinkish; tarsi yellowish brown to orange-pink. Differs from H. parens and H. ruficapilla in larger size, lack of rufous or cinnamon in plumage of upperparts, wings and tail; from similar H. diphone (of race cantans) by shorter tail, larger bill, olive-yellowish (not grayish) supercilium and underparts. Sexes alike in plumage, female slightly smaller than male. Juvenile is as adult, but forehead and crown paler or tinged yellowish, and back and rump browner.

Systematics History

In the past sometimes placed in a monotypic genus, Psamathia. Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Palau Is (Babelthaup, Koror, Garakayo, Peleliu and Ngabad).

Habitat

Dense undergrowth, vine tangles and lianas of mid-level canopy of forests and along forest edges.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

Food mostly ground-dwelling invertebrates. Usually solitary. Forages low down in vegetation or on ground; extremely shy, spends long periods in thick or dense undergrowth, although occasionally becomes inquisitive.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song, given continually for long periods, often in concert with others, a long penetrating, flute-like whistle, may be slurred both upwards and downwards, very occasionally followed by a series of warbling notes; similar to that of H. ruficapilla but long whistle lower in pitch, also slurred, and ensuing warbling notes usually omitted or, when given, may be a more protracted series. Call a dry scolding chatter.

Breeding

Not well known. Season at least Nov–Dec. Nest a ball of dry leaves, coarse grasses, fine plant fibres and feathers, entrance fairly near top, placed up to 2·5 m from ground in small bush or tree. No information on clutch size and incubation and fledging periods.
Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Palau EBA. Common and widespread. Although numerous, this species is extremely shy and consequently not well known.
Distribution of the Palau Bush Warbler - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Palau Bush Warbler

Recommended Citation

Clement, P. (2020). Palau Bush Warbler (Horornis annae), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pabwar1.01
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